Motion capture (“mocap”) is a technique of digitally recording movements for entertainment, sports, and medical applications. In the context of filmmaking (where it is sometimes called performance capture), motion capture involves recording the actions of human actors, and using that information to animate digital character models in 3D animation.
In a typical motion capture system, an array of sensors is distributed around a motion capture stage, where a person's motion is recorded. The person wears either passive markers or active beacons that are individually tracked by the sensors. A central processor fuses data from the sensors and computes the person's body position based on the marker data and a-priori information about the marker position on the person's body.
The movements are recorded within a “capture volume.” This volume refers to the workspace where the person can be tracked continuously by a certain sensor configuration. For instance, if a person can be tracked continuously within a capture volume by three cameras, that capture volume is said to have 3-coverage.
A motion capture system may be used for closed loop control of a vehicle (e.g., an electric helicopter) within a capture volume. However, visualization and analysis of the capture volume is limited.